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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
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Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet)
Summer sweet and spicy is the pleasant fragrance of this pollinator magnet that naturalizes readily in shady, damp places as well as coastal landscapes. Although not native to NoVA (it is common elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain), it grows well in cultivation here. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored Sweet Pepperbush as Wildflower of the Year in 2015.
*It is not native to DC or NoVA. In DE, MD, and VA, it is common in the Coastal Plain and rare in the (outer) Piedmont. In PA, it is found occasionally in the far eastern counties. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets